Barcelona's qualification for the Champions League knockout phase with two
games to spare has been overshadowed by a serious thigh injury to midfielder
Andres Iniesta.

Barca blow: Andres Iniesta in action during the draw with BaslePhoto: REUTERS

By Telegraph staff and agencies

4:37PM GMT 05 Nov 2008

The Spain international is likely to be out for six weeks after straining his right thigh muscle in the second half of Barca's 1-1 draw against Group C rivals Basle at the Nou Camp, a result that was enough to send them through to the last 16.

"Iniesta's injury is very bad news for us," coach Pep Guardiola said. "He's an important player for us."

Barcelona had won their previous 11 matches in all competitions ahead of Tuesday's tie, and took over at the top of the Primera Liga on Saturday with a seventh consecutive win.

A six-week absence would mean Iniesta would miss league games against close rivals Real Madrid, Villarreal, Valencia and Sevilla, as well as Barca's last two Champions League group matches, against Sporting Lisbon and Shakhtar Donetsk.

Barca were leading 1-0 with less than 10 minutes left on Tuesday thanks to a goal from substitute Lionel Messi before Eren Derdiyok came off the bench to score the equaliser.

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Guardiola said he was unhappy with the result but pleased to be through to February's knockout round.

"I don't like the fact we drew, but maybe the result will do us some good," he said. "It is only November and we have qualified for the next round with two games to spare, so that's a positive."

Captain Carles Puyol said Iniesta's injury had dampened the mood in the dressing room.

"Andres is very important for us and we hope he will recover soon," he said.

French defender Francois Marque was the bedrock of the Basle performance which delivered on Christian Gross' promise that his side were capable of achieving "something magnificent".

Marque not only held off his more illustrious countryman, Thierry Henry, but marshalled the Basle defence again after Messi gave the Catalan club the lead. Given that Barcelona won the last game between the two sides 5-0, it was a remarkable achievement. However, the 25-year-old found it easy to explain.

"We were spectators in the first game against Barcelona," he grimaced. "We stood back, we almost applauded them for how good they were and generally showed them too much respect. This time we showed that Barca's players only have two arms, two legs and they are only human. Faster than us, but still only human."

Although there were only seven minutes remaining when Derdiyok equalised and despite Barca having 22 efforts at goal, Marque explains that it was all a stroll in the park for him. "I was cool, and I played well – I know this," he said. "I've got a strange playing history, never making it in French professional football and not reaching the top level until I moved to Switzerland, but I was certain that my team-mates and I were good enough to come here, close down space, play as a unit and take a point if we showed the right mentality. I never felt under pressure and I just enjoyed the evening. This is one to tell the children and the grandchildren about."

Sporting Lisbon also went through from Group C, reaching the knockout round of the competition for the first time by beating Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0.

Now, four years on from his greatest triumph at club level, Brazilian Derlei is scenting Champions League glory again.

The striker had been on the field for just four minutes as a substitute for Helder Postiga when he struck from Marat Izmailov's cross to break through a stubborn and determined Shakhtar rearguard.

Derlei has spent much of the intervening period since winning the Champions League with Porto in 2004 beset by injury, and is enjoying being back in the spotlight.

"I was the hero of course because I scored," he said, "but our collective efforts made it possible."

Derlei thinks his side's qualification is the result of setting themselves smaller targets rather than thinking too hard about the bigger picture. "The most important thing was to win the game, which was our first objective, and this put us on our way to qualification for the last 16," he said.

The 33-year-old was quick to dampen any suggestion that Sporting's success was down to a favourable draw. "It was a difficult group, as was proved by Barcelona not managing to beat Basle tonight," he pointed out.

Derlei insists Paulo Bento's men will not take their foot off the pedal despite their achievement, as they are ambitious to finish the group stage with a flourish. Such is confidence at the Alvalade that Sporting are daring to dream of overhauling 2006 competition winners Barcelona at the group's summit. "Now we can be calm going into the final two games," he explained. "We'll try to pick up as many points as possible and we'll try to get into first place."

Meanwhile, Italian World Cup winner Luca Toni said on Wednesday that he wants to see out his career with Bayern Munich, while ex-Brazil midfielder Ze Roberto is considering leaving the German giants in 2009.

Toni, 31, sat out Wednesday's Champions League clash at his old club Fiorentina with a rib injury, but the Italian feels good in Munich and wants to see out his contract which runs until 2011.

"The longer I live here, the better feel I here," Toni said. "But I can't make that decision on my own, the club must also decide what they think – perhaps it is that I am away within the next year."

Having moved to Munich in the summer of 2007, Toni enjoyed an impressive debut season with 39 goals in 46 games in all competitions as Bayern swept the three domestic trophies.

But his Brazilian team-mate Ze Roberto, who is under contract until June 2009, says he wants to put his family first and is looking at a possible switch to the United States.

"Already my wife would like it if we perhaps left and I am not so often the boss in the house," the 34-year-old said with a smile.

The Brazilian says he expects to make a decision in February or March, having rejoined Bayern in the summer of 2007 after a year back in Brazil.